


Risktaker

by saintsfan165



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Annabeth is bad at feelings, Breaking Up & Making Up, Depression, F/M, Growing Up, Hook-Up, Hurt/Comfort, Look At Your Life Look At Your Choices, Mistakes, Moving On, Past Abuse, Rachel and Percy are a good couple together, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22030288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintsfan165/pseuds/saintsfan165
Summary: Annabeth has never been one to take risks. She preferred to play it safe as to always be prepared for the unexpected. Luke was the safe and easy choice, being the star quarterback and a overall most popular guy at school. NYU is the safe choice go attend college. They have a great architecture program and it's close to home. But the plan she had worked so effortlessly to achieve suddenly came crashing down when her best friend Percy Jackson's true feelings came to light.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Jason Grace/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Luke Castellan/Annabeth Chase, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare/Percy Jackson, Silena Beauregard & Charles Beckendorf, Thalia Grace & Percy Jackson
Comments: 15
Kudos: 46





	1. Senior Year

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah this was something I've been working on during the winter break. December is always a weird time in my life. Its filled with family and holidays and not enough time to get everything done. And for me it also includes my birthday. I've always had this weird love hate relationship with my birthday and every January i end up falling into a winter depression. This story helped me cope with that and it is a bit of a personal piece, i incorporated a bit of my life and my mistakes into Annabeth. Every character has some elements of a real person in my life.

"...because she's Annabeth and I'm me. I'm the best friend, I'm the one who gets to hear about how much she loves another guy. I'm the one that knows her, and me and Annabeth that's a chance I can't afford to lose. She plays it safe, she always has. Luke is safe, Luke is the future she wants. I'm the risk, my feelings are a risk to her future. She's too important to me, so I can live with being seen as only a friend for the rest of my life," Percy sighed defeated.

"Can you though?" Piper asked.

"No. But telling her would jeopardize her future. Me telling her how I feel would risk that perfect future she's always talking about."

"And how do you feel about her Percy?" Piper asked between sips of hot chocolate.

"I love Annabeth. She's everything to me. But…"

"But Annabeth doesn't do risks."

Annabeth hadn't meant to spy on her two best friends private conversation. In truth she was just coming down stairs to grab a much needed glass of water. She didn't even know that Percy was still there, the party had ended three hours ago. But leave it to Percy to want to help clean up so her, Hazel, and Piper didn't have to spend the majority of their morning cleaning.

Annabeth also didn't intend to accidentally knock over a vase and reveal that she had been listening. She wanted to play it off as if she hadn't heard his confession but the look in his eyes told her that she couldn't lie her way out of this one.

That was the night she lost her best friend. For despite his confession, he was right. Percy's feelings were a risk to her future with Luke. If Luke found out, she didn't know what would happen to them. Either she loses both of them or one of them.

The choice was obvious. She chose the boy she loved. And she loved Luke. So the following Monday when she didn't meet with Percy before school like she always did, he knew her choice. It didn't surprise him, but it hurt like nothing ever had. It hurt more than anything Gabe could ever do to him. In one look, he lost his best friend and the girl he loved more than life itself. One look was all it took for him to understand when he saw her in History. Her eyes were cold and full of hurt, because she didn't want to be doing this, she didn't want to lose him, but she needed to choose. Percy or her future.

Her future, for all it's potential, was something she had planned out for as long as she could remember. They were going to all go to the same college, she was going to marry Luke once they graduated college and have three beautiful blonde children as she ran her own architecture firm. Percy was part of that future, but nothing more than a friend. She didn't envision living with him, waking up next to him every morning (despite accidentally doing that occasionally during late night cram sessions), or having his children. That was Luke. Luke was the permanence she seeked, Percy was just the best friend who would occasionally be there when she needed a friend. But now he wasn't. It hurt, but she'd eventually get over. Not right away, maybe even not for a while, but she would one day. She still had the love of her life and all her friends.

But no Percy.

The choice was obvious. Right?

* * *

If finally struck her during winter break. For the past nine years she had spent Christmas with the Jackson's. And before she started dating Luke two years ago during sophomore year she would spend Christmas Eve with them as well.

Surely her family would notice that she was actually there Christmas day, but her hopes were quickly stomped as her father passed out presents to everyone but her. It wasn't until she cleared her throat that everyone realized she was there.

"Annabeth? What are you doing here? Don't you usually spend Christmas with Percy?" Helen asked, a confused expression on her face.

"They're out of town," she lied, to ashamed to tell them that she stopped talking to Percy four months ago. "I'm sorry I thought I told you."

"It's okay, dear," her father passed Annabeth her present. "Merry Christmas."

It really was a nice sweater. But what she really wanted more than anything was anything architecture. It was her passion in life and part of her future plans. Hard work and dedication were one day going to lead to her own architecture firm. She was more determined than anything to show that she was better than her mother. Athena Architecture was the world's largest architecture firm and she was determined to be better than her. To show the woman who claimed to be her mother that she didn't ever need her.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts as Helen asked her to go answer it. Expecting it to be Luke or more likely Piper delivering their present for her. Of course she had one for both of them, having returned Percy's gift a week ago. It felt wrong to show up and give him a present now. But to her surprise, she found a box sitting at the top of the steps. A beautifully wrapped box wrapped with blueprints. Just the touch of them told her that it was the real thing and not just for decoration. Her name handwritten gorgeously on the card lying on top. She smiled gleefully, she couldn't believe that Luke knew.

"Who was it?" Her father asked when she closed the front door and returned.

"No one. Just a present for me."

"That's one great boyfriend you have," Helen smiled at her, causing her to blush slightly.

The boys of course had to make their thoughts on Luke loudly known yelling "gross" and "Annie kissing a boy. Yuck."

Usually nothing mad her more annoyed than when her brothers talked about their distaste for Luke. But not today, today he got her the most perfect gift. She didn't even know what it was yet but it was perfect.

She snuck back upstairs to her room and delicately removed the blueprints and card. Of course Luke knew of her love for preserving wrapping paper. She opened the card and read.

_Have a wonderful Christmas. This is for the soon to be world's greatest architect._

_Love The Jackson-Blofis family._

Her heart stopped for a moment. Sally, Percy, Paul, and Estelle had still gotten her a gift. Percy hadn't told them that they were no longer friends. She steeled herself and opened the box. Inside she found a book on architecture signed by her idol Zaha Hadid, the first ever woman to win the coveted Pritzker Architecture Prize. There were pictures of ancient Greece architecture including the Athena Parthenon, her favorite ancient structure. Each photo had handwritten notes on how the structure was made possible. There was a framed collage titled "BFF's" of her and Estelle two summers ago when her and the Jackson-Blofis family travelled the US. The two of them at the Parthenon in Nashville, the St Louis Arch, Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, and finally the Golden Gate Bridge. Each photo was of her and Estelle making silly faces. But the last gift hurt. It was an old drawing that she drew when her and Percy were six. It was labeled "Percy and Annabeth's House". It was colored orange and blue thanks to Percy.

It was too much, she couldn't accept it. She quickly put on some pants and lied to her dad saying she was going to drop Piper's present off. The ten minute walk to their place was something she could to blindfolded she had done it that many times. But this time it felt different. This walk always ended up with a big hug from Sally and the smell of blue cookies that followed. It wasn't always like that. When Sally was with Gabe, things always seemed tense. That one wrong breath and the perfect picture would crumble and reveal the horrors that hid behind. Then came Paul and eventually Estelle and the Jackson-Blofis residence had become more of a home than her own. They had become her family. She doubted this was the reception she was going to receive this time.

Regis the next door neighbor greeted her with a friendly smile and the off handed remark that it'd been awhile.

Thank the gods, Sally Jackson was the one to answer the door. She didn't have to have an awkward interaction with Percy. Lunch was awkward enough when she would sit with their friends because she needed to get notes from Piper or Jason. Luke ran with a different crowd, and that didn't bother anyone. She would sit with him during lunch, but she would still talk and hang with them all during passing period and after school and on weekends, when she wasn't with Luke of course.

"Annabeth, merry Christmas. I'm so happy to see you. It has been too long considering…" Annabeth knew by her words and the look of sorrow in her eyes that Sally knew the truth. That after thirteen years of friendship, her and Percy had split. This was a bad idea.

"Hi Sally. Umm I came by to return this," she offered the shoe box filled with gifts to good for her. She didn't deserve such wonderful things from them.

"They were a gift," she politely declined and gently pushed the box back to her. "It's all for you. Despite everything," Annabeth winced "we all love you and you are still part of this family. You always will be."

"No. I don't want this. I don't want anything from you. I don't… I don't need this from you. You can't expect me to come crawling back to you all just because you put this," she whipped out the old drawing and flashed it in the older woman face. The hurt clear across Sally's face as she watched Annabeth crumple up the old drawing and throw it out into the street. "It's Percy's fault that we aren't friends and if you're to stupid to not realize that we aren't friends then you're not worth my time explaining that it's over. I don't need him and I don't need you, you're not my family!" She threw down the box in anger, but the second she heard the crack of glass, it was as if she had taken control back over her body. The cold howl of the wind the only sound being made.

The tears in Sally's eyes prominent. In all her time knowing Sally Jackson-Blofis, Annabeth had never once seen the woman cry. And she never wanted to see it ever again, the look on the woman's face was heart wrenching. "Sally I… I…"

Hearing the sound of glass breaking, Percy came to check on his mom. "Mom is everything-" Percy stopped as he took in the seen. The gift his mother worked so hard putting together, spending a sizeable amount of one of her checks on buying the autographed book, the intricately put together collage of Estelle and her "bestest friend in the whole world" Annabeth. The photos Paul gathered and had his old buddy who majored in architecture markup. And his and Annabeth's dream house, complete with a water slide from his bedroom to hers. All of it was covered in snow and destroyed.

But worst of all was that his mother, the strongest, greatest woman in the world, was crying. Whatever Annabeth had done, had hurt her in a way he had never seen. His mom had cried in front of him before, like when he finally told her that Gabe beat him, but he had never seen her like this. It was as if the joy in her heart had been taken away, like she was never going to be happy again. He gently wrapped his arm around her as she brought her hands to cover her face. "Leave… now." He said hatefully.

Annabeth was taken aback by the coldness in his voice. She had never heard Percy sound so hateful. She didn't mean it. Everything came pouring out at once and in a mean way. She didn't mean it. "I… I…"

"I said leave." Percy pulled his mom back and slammed the door in her face causing her to stumble backwards and fall.

She didn't mean it.

* * *

Annabeth told Luke what happened when she saw him on New Years Eve. He was nothing but supportive stating that Sally had overreacted and that this whole thing would wash over by time semester started up again. He even went as far as saying that her breakup with Percy was by far the best thing she had ever done. Percy was holding her back and she was never really herself when she was with him. He understood that Percy was no doubt upset because they were in each others lives for so long, but it was for the best. And Annabeth agreed. Even though it was a total lie, she forced herself to agree. No more Jackson's was for the best. She would survive.

And in January when the semester started again, she had believed Luke and chose to completely forget the image of Sally Jackson crying. She was talking to Piper as she walked hand in hand with Luke while he talked to Ethan and Jason about baseball season starting up soon when she saw everyone swooning over Percy. "Hey Pipes, what's everyone crowding Percy for?"

"Haven't you heard? During a swim meet last week Percy broke not just the school record for the butterfly, but the state record. There were seven scouts at the meet and all seven of the schools they represented offered him a full ride scholarship. Including NYU."

No, she had not known that. But then again she had not known of Percy's life since they split. She, despite everything they had recently gone through, was happy for him. "I'm happy for him. He's worked so hard for this."

"Harder since he no longer had his number one supporter there for him," Piper added nonchalantly. Annabeth wanted to shoot Piper a glare but she just couldn't find it within her to start losing more friends. She had lost Percy, and his cousins, Thalia and Nico. Hazel had chosen to remain neutral and still hangout with both of them while Jason did whatever Piper did. But losing both Thalia and Nico stung. Thalia had been one of her closest friends since her and Jason transferred to Goode last year. She wasn't surprised she had picked Percy. "Blood is thicker than water Annabeth." And that was the last thing Thalia had said to her. Nico had been part of the group since Percy stopped him from being picked on by eighth graders while Nico was in sixth and Percy was in seventh. They became extremely close before they even found out they were related. Annabeth had taken on the role of big sister for Nico, always making sure he ate enough and did his homework while simultaneously protecting him from girls with bad intentions. Losing Nico that way hurt but not unexpected. She was just weeding out those who weren't going to be part of the plan. The plan was what mattered.

She followed Piper and approached Percy wanting to congratulate him. Piper leapt into Percy's arms and squeezed the life out of him. He thanked her after he caught his breath, never once looking in Annabeth's direction. "Good job Percy.." she said nervously. "You're amazing in the water." Percy finally looked at her and his smile dropped.

"Leave me alone Annabeth. I told you that I want nothing to do with you anymore especially after what you did to my mother," he said with venom causing Annabeth to drop her head in shame. Piper tilted her head in confusion. Before Piper could poke and prod Annabeth turned and bolted to the nearest bathroom, doing her best to conceal her tears. Piper for how great a friend she was, was really not welcome right now.

"Annabeth..." Piper said hesitantly through the bathroom stall. "What... what happened over break. Please tell me, I promise you that no matter what, I'll still be your friend." Hearing her comforting words, Annabeth opened the stall door and spilled everything. The amazing gift that Sally had gotten for her, her freak out on the doorstep of the Jackson-Blofis residence, and the end result of causing Sally to cry. Through it all, Piper remained quiet, stoically listening to her friend cry and hate herself.

After Piper pulled her into a hug, she gave Annabeth a sympathetic look and took a deep breath. "Annabeth, I told you that I would remain your friend no matter what you did and that's still true. But..." Annabeth's breath hitched. "But I don't know if I can overlook what you did. You broke Sally's heart. Sally, the woman who loved you as a daughter, who took me in when I needed a mother figure in my life. The same woman who helped us go through puberty, talked to us about boys, our first periods when you were to embraced to talk to Helen about it, and a million other things. Sally Jackson has been the most wonderful woman that none of us deserved to have in our life the way we did. She was the woman I called when I was debating on losing my virginity to Jason. She never judged us, and treated us with respect and love we didn't know we needed. I can't forgive what you've done until you fix this. Until you do, I don't know if we can be the same. Like is said, I'm with you. Despite throwing away your friendship with Percy, and effectively splitting our group I still stood by you, but not with this. Sally Jackson-Blofis is too important to me. Unlike you I don't really have a plan for after graduation but I know that it will involve Sally. She's helped me become the woman I am today and I owe her everything, and so do you. How many nights did she stay up late with you going over English and History? How many times did you call her when you were having a fight with Helen? How many times did she support your dreams to become an architect? And when she gave you a gift so personal that proved that she would always love you despite not being friends with Percy and you threw it back in her face like she was nothing." Piper was breathing heavily after her rant, her cheeks red with anger and sadness. "I love you Annabeth but for someone so smart, you're being incredibly stupid." She turned away and walked to the door. Before it closed she glanced back at her speechless friend. "I'll see you in physics."

Annabeth spent her free period writing a letter to Sally. She was a coward and didn't have the gumption to face Sally again. It was even explained in the letter that she couldn't face her after making her cry, the image had haunted her. But she also explained that her and Percy split and it needed to remain that way. Sally couldn't be part of her life anymore. But she was extremely thankful for everything she had ever done, and the gift she ruined. _I'm sorry for letting you down. You were the best parent a girl could have._

She slipped the letter into Percy's locker later that day, hoping that this was enough, that she could get Piper back. Physics was weird without having Piper interrupting her a million times with the most ridiculous and most of the time unrelated question. And most of all, she didn't know if she could live with that look of pure hatred that Percy gave her every time he caught her looking. Despite not being friends, she couldn't live with herself if Percy hated her for the rest of her life.

The following morning, Percy approached her. "My mom appreciated the letter. She understands that you would have trouble facing her again… she forgives you. She just wanted what's best for you, and if that's her no longer being in her life than… she's okay with that. She wants you to be happy." Annabeth wanted to hug Percy and thank him, it had been the most sleepless night she had in recent memory. But he still had that look in her eye that told him she wasn't forgiven. She would never be. "So there, you got my mom to forgive you. But I don't. Nobody makes my mom cry and gets so easily forgiven because you wrote a letter. If you ask me, you don't deserve her forgiveness. You don't deserve her."

"I don't give a damn about your opinion, I don't recall asking for it!" She shouted, causing a few students who were lingering in the hall to turn and look. "Your opinion doesn't matter to me anymore. I wanted Sally's forgiveness and that's it. Hate me all you want, it doesn't matter."

"No!" Percy retorted. "My mom. My opinion. You messed up and for some reason you think that what you did was fine because my mom loves you more than you deserve."

"She loves me because I put up with you. You always had me to back you up," at this point at least forty people were gathered watching the shouting match unfold. Goode wasn't the smallest of schools, sporting roughly 2,500 students. But nearly all upperclassmen and most sophomores knew that Percy and Annabeth were the best of friends since practically birth. They were just Percy and Annabeth.

"I was the one you complained to about your oh so tough life. Yeah, must have been real hard having a mother who cherished you like you were the fucking sun. I was the one who told you to stand up to Gabe, I was the one who backed you up. I put my life on hold for you and your problems. Maybe if you had dealt with your problems like a real boy, you would've realized by now that your mom thinks too highly of you. You can't do anything for yourself. Gabe clearly didn't do a good enough job teaching you how to be a man!" And she froze, realizing what she had just said. When they were going, Percy had told her that every time Gabe beat him, he would always claim that it was to make him a man, to force him to man up.

"Annabeth!" Nico shouted, appearing from the shadows. She snapped out of her own guilt ridden memory and refocused on Percy's face. This was something she could never come back from. She had just told the entire school that Percy was abused as a kid and that she thought his abuser didn't do a good enough job. Of course she didn't mean that, she would never mean that. It just slipped out. She so desperately wanted Percy to just move on and not hate her so when he didn't, when he told her she didn't deserve Sally, she snapped.

"Get the fuck out of the way. Move it loser!" Thalia's voice echoed through the conglomerate of bodies before finally breaking through to where her, Percy and Nico stood. Thalia walked over to Percy and whispered something to him and Nico. Nico nodded as Percy remained a shell of himself. She had broken him.

Thalia turned to face her as Nico dragged Percy through the sea of people. She menacingly walked up and slapped Annabeth in the face before muttering "you're dead to me," and storming off.

Percy didn't show up to history, and she didn't see him or Thalia during lunch. In fact she didn't see him the rest of the following day either. It wasn't until two days after her shouting match with Percy that Piper knocked on her door in tears. "It's Percy and Thalia. There was an accident."

What had she done?

* * *

Percy was relatively unharmed, he had a broken arm and a concussion. He was back in school the following week. Thalia on the other hand, hadn't woken up. Annabeth had rushed to the hospital to check on them. The last thing they had all spoken to each other was that Annabeth was dead to Thalia. But Percy, when he came to and saw Annabeth and found out what happened to Thalia, he blamed her. "She was trying to make me feel better. She wasn't paying attention to the road because I couldn't stop crying from what you said. I hate you."

But Sally came in at just the right time. "Perseus Jackson, you take that back this instant." She was on the verge of tears running up to Percy.

After tears were shed, Percy ended up apologizing to her. It wasn't her fault, it was the jerk who ran a red light. But she saw the look in his eyes. He may have no longer blamed her for the accident, but they were far from okay.

And for the following month, they had avoided each other like the plague. Annabeth was thankful that they only shared Latin and history together. Percy had sat in a new seat that… Thalia no longer needed.

It was just how life went for the two former best friends. And that's how it was going to until graduation, but then she showed up.

Being head of the student body government meant that occasionally Annabeth would do a meet and greet with a new transfer student and show them around the school and to their classes. And in this case, it was indeed her turn.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare was a fireball of confusion for Annabeth. She always had a thing for figuring out what made a person tick. But she was completely at a loss with the fiery redhead. Rachel was in the midst of an overly long and complicated explanation as to why she was just now attending Goode. It was obvious that she was too independent to be housed in an all female Catholic school upstate. And when they rounded the corner Rachel had quite literally ran into Percy.

"Oh Gods I'm so sorry," she apologized profusely to poor Percy who was still harporing his broken arm. Annabeth took the time to examine his cast, all of their friends had signed it and at least twenty other girls who added a kiss or a heart next to their name. She smirked at the thought of Percy's face looked like every time a girl would flirt with him. Of course when she was around it hardly happened, but when they stopped, nearly every single girl in school has asked them out. Percy of course had declined them all. Even when they were friends, the group had always teased him that there was no girl worthy of dating the "mighty Percy Jackson" and he would always respond with "just haven't had the right girl ask me". And every time he said it, he had been looking at her. She should've realized it then.

"So what brings you to Goode?" Percy asked as he helped collect her belongings.

"Oh you know… teenage rebellion." Rachel joked and to Percy's credit, he laughed. Annabeth hadn't heard him laugh in so long.

"Well Goode is… good?" And to Rachel's credit, she laughed in response. And that's when Annabeth realized they were flirting.

"I am sorry about your arm."

"It's alright. I'm actually getting the cast off today."

"Sounds like a wonderful time."

"Oh it's just the greatest. I'm just glad I'll be able to get into the water again."

"Ah I'm sure a nice bath would do you some good."

Annabeth was completely forgotten by now.

"Swimmer actually." Percy mocked hurt, putting his cast hand over his heart. Rachel's eyebrow shot up as she examined the neon pink cast.

"Get well soon babe xoxo - Drew. Feel better honey luv u - Steph. Call me - Sabrina. Wow someone is very popular with the ladies," she teased.

Percy blushed, "yeah well I'm nothing more than a glorified piece of meat to them.*

"Piece of fish more like it." Percy and Rachel nearly fell over laughing. Annabeth felt awkward, like the two of them had a million inside jokes that she just wasn't privy to.

"Piece of fish. That's… that's too good."

"I know right. You're all like 'i'm a swimmer girls think I'm a piece of meat' and fish was the first thing that came out."

"Oh I'm sorry. I don't even know your name," Percy said, extending his left, non-cast, hand. "I'm Percy Jackson."

"Well Percy Jackson, I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Honor to meet you," she did a faux curtsy.

"Pleasure is all mine Ms Red." Once again Annabeth could feel their bond increasing, building greater and greater. Then the bell rang and Annabeth thanked the gods for getting her out of that scenario. Percy turned leave. "Oh ummm Percy?"

"Yeah Rachel?"

"Well umm I am new to New York and I was maybe wondering if you would be willing to show me around. I got Annabeth here to take me around Goode but I need someone to show me around the real New York."

And Annabeth couldn't help but smirk. Here came the on que rejection. "Umm yeah, that'd be fun." Annabeth's ears turned red and her whole body grew cold as her heart stopped.

"Thank you. When?"

"Uhhh does Friday work?"

"Friday is the fourteenth. That's Valentine's day."

"Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Naturally someone as cool as you would have plans. I'm sorry."

Rachel lit up like Times Square New Year's Eve. "No. No I don't have any plans, I just didn't want you to realize the date and cancel."

Percy smiled, "I wouldn't cancel. Despite just meeting you, you're definitely one of the coolest people I've met."

If Rachel wasn't already naturally red due to her freckles, Annabeth could've sworn she was as bright as a peach. "Well then." She pulled out a sharpie from Gods nowhere and wrote her number on his good forearm. "It's a date."

Percy's eyes widened as he returned her smile. "Yeah. A date." Percy bid her farewell and shot Annabeth a weary glance.

Screw the gods, Annabeth had decided because her and Rachel ended up sharing four classes together. And all she could talk about was Percy Jackson. "Would it be okay if I sat with him at lunch? Or would it be to forward? Gods I sound like a lovesick puppy. But I don't know, it's just something about him, you know?" Annabeth did know. And that's what made it worse.

Hazel and Piper were really big fans of Rachel, Piper was in love with her look, the whole paint splotches on her clothes was totally working for her. When Hazel found out one of Rachel's hobbies was equestrian, the too really hit it off.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare had entered her life and everything from then on had changed.

* * *

Luke broke up with her on Valentine's Day. On their two year anniversary. After she had fully given herself to him for the first time. After all this time she had spent loving him, he felt nothing for her. "I don't think this is going to work out. I thought maybe if we finally took the next step, things would be different. But I just don't feel the connection… I'm sorry Annabeth." What a load of horse shit. Luke used her and slept with her. He dated her to take her virginity. It wasn't like she her virginity was super important to her. But she just never felt like it was the right time with Luke. But that night it had. That night was their two year anniversary and she felt like she was ready. And now she had lost not only her virginity, but she lost Percy for nothing.

Devastated and with nowhere to turn to, she made her way to the one place that had always been her home. She wanted to go to Piper's but her and Jason were on a date, Hazel and Nico were gone for the weekend. And her and Helen had never been close enough to have those types of talks.

She knocked on the door as the cold air plastered her face and cheeks. Annabeth was already crying, and the cold only made her look worse. "... Got it." Annabeth was met with someone she hadn't expected. "Annabeth?"

"Ra.. Rachel?" She had on her trademark paint stained clothing, but her on her face she had a couple of blue splotches.

Rachel noticed Annabeth's tears and reddened eyes. "What happened? What… should I. Please come in."

Annabeth took a hesitant step inside the warm home. The smell of chocolate chip cookies filled her nostrils and warmed her heart. So that's what was on Rachel's face. "Just uhh. Just stay here. I'll go grab someone… else."

Rachel disappeared down the hallway towards the kitchen where Annabeth could hear them whispering things like "Chase", "crying", "Luke?".

A couple of awkward minutes of standing alone, Sally Jackson appeared from the hallway with her mini me in tow. "Banana bread!" Estelle shouted, running up to the older teen and hugging her leg. The seven year old was Annabeth's biggest love and she missed her more than anything. "I've missed you."

She fought off more tears as she knelt down to properly hug the little girl. "I've missed you too my little seahorse." The nicknames dated back to when Estelle was first learning to speak. She always had trouble pronouncing Annabeth and it always came out like bananabeth. So Banana Bread was born. As for Seahorse, well Annabeth was proud of that one. Estelle after all was a Jackson and had taken after Percy in so many ways. Specifically, their love for the ocean and when Estelle was three/four she had an unhealthy addiction to horses. So Seahorse was born.

"Mommy said that you were busy. But you always came over when you were busy. Why did you stop? Did I do something bad?"

Annabeth's heart broke. "No seahorse, I love you. You didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't you, it was just… things change. I'm sorry. I love you Estelle."

"I love you to Annabeth."

A third pair of arms made their way around the hugging duo as Sally Jackson pulled her daughter's in for a hug. Once they pulled away Sally told Estelle to go help Percy and Rachel finish up the last batch of cookies and to make sure that she got Annabeth a cup of hot chocolate and to bring it to her room.

Once Sally had ushered her into the sanctuary that was Estelle's bedroom, Annabeth broke down. "He used me. I loved him and he didn't. I chose him over Percy. I destroyed everything. I can't fix it."

"Take a deep breath Annabeth. Just breath." She complied as best she could with her shaky breath. "You haven't destroyed everything. You're here aren't you. What you seek is only a few feet out this door. He'll forgive you. He always will. You're the most important thing in his life Annabeth. Just because you made a decision that hurt him, doesn't mean it was the wrong one. You had to take the path you chose and so did Percy. But this is the chance for you both to walk down the same path together again." She looked down at her watch. "Paul will be home soon, I need to go get his Valentine's gift ready. Take your time. Estelle should be here with a cup of hot cocoa… if she hasn't drank it by now." Annabeth gave a weak laugh. "We love you Annabeth. Welcome home.

She sat for five minutes, trying to figure out what exactly to say to Percy. But nothing seemed good enough. Finally the door opened and she could smell blue chocolate chip cookies and the sizzle of hot chocolate. Annabeth didn't bother looking up, she knew who it was. If it was Estelle, she would've heard her chomping down on a cookie. "Are you okay?" Percy asked with a calm voice. "Did he… did he hurt you?"

She sighed, still afraid to look up at him. She knew that if she stared into those sea foam green eyes, she'd be lost forever. "Only emotionally."

"What… what did he do?"

"We… we had sex for the first time." Percy let out a slight "oh," before quickly shutting up. "And after we did, he dumped me. He claimed that there wasn't a connection and he thought sex would make that connection respark but apparently it didn't. I… I loved him. I…" she was struggling to speak and hold her tears in by now.

Percy was sitting beside her on Estelle's bed. "Wise Girl?" He softly asked.

Two words were all it took for Annabeth to break. She hadn't heard that name in six months and it was her fault. For such a wise girl she had been a total idiot. "I'm so sorry," she cried. "Percy please. I can't… I don't want to lose you. I'm so sorry. I've been so terrible and I hate myself for being so stupid. Ple...please forgive me. You're my seaweed brain, I love you."

Percy wrapped his arms around her and gently kissed the top of her head. "I love you too wise girl. But I… I'm not in love with you anymore. I can't just forget the past six months like they didn't happen. I can't forget the things you said to me, to my mom…. But I forgive you Annabeth. You're still my friend. You'll always be my friend."

She smiled into his chest. He forgave her. He forgave her when she knew, he knew, that she didn't deserve it. "Thank you," she said shakily.

"I'll leave you be. After all, I can't leave my date with Estelle. The little monster will eat her alive. You know how she is with other girls who aren't you."

She nodded, remembering every girl that had come over to the Jackson-Blofis residence for a project or celebrate after a swim meet. Annabeth was the only girl allowed to be in Percy's life according to her. Even Thalia, Piper, and Hazel weren't allowed to hangout with just Percy. And Hazel and Thalia were his cousins. "Is that why she's here baking blue chocolate chip cookies? Trying to bake her way into Estelle's heart."

Percy laughed and her head rose and fell with his chest. "It doesn't hurt." Percy detached himself from Annabeth and suddenly she felt a lot colder than she did standing outside in the cold. "And if you want, you're more than welcome to stay here the rest of the night. The cookies are still warm. The hot cocoa… not so much. Estelle can sleep with me." Annabeth was going to say something when he closed the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts. But Percy quickly reopened the door. "But it would be really nice if you came and baked with us."

* * *

Percy and Rachel started officially dating a week later. Annabeth had never seen Percy so comfortable with someone who wasn't his mother, sister, Paul… or her. The two of them were a near perfect couple in the eyes of all their friends. It felt good to say their friends again since Percy had welcomed her back with somewhat open arms. They were a little hesitant to get back to where they were, and Annabeth knew all too well that it was never going to truly be the same between them. She tossed Percy aside like he was nothing to her, the same way Luke did. Then she emotional assaulted him with insults and making his mother cry. Annabeth could commit to nothing but trying to make it right between her and Percy for the next ten years straight and they still wouldn't be like they were.

But for now, just being around him again was enough.

Replaced. It was how she felt. With Rachel around now, Percy didn't really need Annabeth to be with him all the time. Not that she expected them to be around each other all the time. It was just… different. Him with Rachel was different, and she didn't know if she liked it.

So she stayed nearby, but far enough away to not get pulled back in. She remembered what Sally told her; that their paths split and they were walking on different paths now and maybe they would once again walk the same one. Put things weren't so easy. Her and Percy rarely talked to each other outside of class or common courtesy. And it was enough, for now.

It was enough until senior prom came. All the girls were gathered at Piper's place talking about what they were going to wear and where they were going to take pictures when Rachel asked about Percy. "Do you think he would be okay if I asked him? Or do you think he's already planned how he's going to ask me?"

Piper instantly squealed at the romantic gesture of her asking him. "You should totally ask that kelp head. I mean I'm sure Percy is probably gonna do some lame gesture to ask you cus let's face it he's not that smart to do it in a clever way." The three girls laughed and Annabeth gave a convincing smile. She knew Percy may be a seaweed brain, but he was actually really smart when I counted. She had no doubt that he had come up with super romantic way to ask Rachel to prom.

Then Rachel said something that made everyone's jaw drop. "I think I'm in love with him."

Hazel was the first to break the silence. "My cousin… he's strange but he loves hard and it can sometimes bite him in the butt." She glanced briefly at Annabeth. "So if you really do love him, you promise me that you won't hurt him, won't abandon him. I love him like a brother, even though technically Nico is my brother, but still he's my family and I hate seeing him get hurt."

Rachel's eyes glistened a bit, "Hazel, I promise you that I would never do that to Percy. He's the greatest guy I've ever met and I'd be a fool to take that for granted."

"Then Red, I give you my blessing to tell him," Hazel smiled.

"Besides he's totally in love with you anyways," Piper added. Everyone looked at her quizzically. "What? He may or may not have been on the phone with Jason last week after him and Red went on a date." She turned her attention back on Rachel. "So Red… anything interesting happen last Friday night?"

The red hue on Rachel's cheeks were a tell tale sign that something happened with Percy. "We uhhh slept together."

"What!?" Piper shouted and Annabeth dropped her soda.

"It's not like that-"

"Then why did you phrase it like that?!" Piper playfully chastised.

"I just wanted to see your reaction. I'm told that Hazel tends to get really pink," she paused as they all looked at said friend. And true to herself, Hazel was blushing profusely. Annabeth would to if the idea of sex and her cousin were being mixed. "But yeah, Sally and Paul had a date night so I came over cus Percy wanted me to help him look after Estelle. We had such a good time baking cookies and singing songs from Disney movies until we finally all three crashed in Percy's room to watch finding Nemo."

"Ugh he freaking loves that movie more than anyone his age should," Hazel interrupted.

"I know," Rachel laughed. "But anyways the three of us were cuddling in his bed watching Nemo, eating cookies, drinking hot chocolate well it was maybe the best night of my life. I could do that for the rest of my life and be complete, you know? And well, I don't remember exactly when, I think it was when we were watching Finding Dory, but we all fell asleep. Next thing I know I woke up to the flash of a camera. Sally and Paul were home and Sally took a picture of the three of us asleep cuddling." She took out her phone and handed it to Hazel who handed it to Piper who handed it to Annabeth.

The two previous girls cooed when they saw the photo. When she looked down at the picture, she couldn't help but feel… jealous. Replaced.

In the picture she saw Rachel holding onto Estelle, who was in between the two older teens, like there was no tomorrow while Percy had his arm wrapped around Rachel, their foreheads touching as Percy drooled on Estelle's head which was buried into Percy's chest.

Once she handed Rachel her phone back Rachel continued. "I was the only one to wake up from the flash. Apparently these two are super heavy sleepers," at which point Annabeth snorted.

"You could say that again. I would have to smack him upside the head with our textbook when he would fall asleep," she added before putting up her walls again and looking down.

"Yeah they slept like the dead. Sally told me that if I wanted to, I could stay for the night. And I did. But it was different in the morning. Estelle must have slipped out from our grasp on the middle of the night because she wasn't there when I woke. Waking up in Percy Jackson's arms was the greatest feeling in the world. It was something I would be content with if I could do it forever."

"Like marriage?" Hazel asked.

Rachel laughed, "Not like that. I mean we're barely eighteen. It's just that I know I want to be with Percy… completely. I love him and I just, I want a future with him."

"I understand," Piper said dreamily. "I feel the same with Jason. I say you go for it. Be yourself, Percy likes you for yourself."

Annabeth left Piper's that night feeling sad, hurt, and jealous. All because Percy and Rachel were happy.

She hated that she couldn't be happy for them.

* * *

Rachel and Percy of course asked each other on the same day because they were literally the perfect couple. Percy had of course done it during her art class. With the help of the art teacher, he set up an anamorphosis art projection that spelled "PROM!" that could only be read when sitting in Rachel's seat. To everyone else, it looked like someone had a panic attack and took it out on the room's walls. 

Of course Rachel had asked the swim team for help earlier that day and she rejected him. Annabeth had heard what happened, it was the talk of the school. After Percy had asked she ran up and kissed him but said "Not yet." But Percy was only devastated for one period and then during passing period Rachel grabbed him, dragged him to the gym, and pushed him into the pool. At the bottom were giant letters that spelled out "PROM?" When Percy resurfaced he saw all of his friends (Annabeth included), Paul, and the people entering the gym getting ready for class were watching. He leapt out of the water wrapped Rachel in his arms and said, "of course. But no take backs. You're stuck going with me no matter what, yeah?" 

Rachel was confused but Annabeth knew that look, she knew what was about to happen. "Of course no take backs. I'm stuck with you," she laughed. 

"Good," he responded and with Rachel still in his arms, he fell backwards into the pool as Rachel let out a gleeful shriek. The whole gym erupted into laughter and applause when the two resurfaced. It honestly was a great moment, but in the back of her mind, Annabeth wished it was her that was going with Percy. Since that night when Rachel told them how she felt about Percy, it was all Annabeth could think about. She would think about their lives growing up, how he was the one person who was always there for her when she needed him. How important Percy was to her. And how she threw a decades worth of love and friendship away because she couldn't handle knowing Percy loved her. She threw him away because she knew that Percy loving her was something that would lead to her and Luke breaking up. Because she realized now that Percy was the obvious choice. Or at least he should've been. 

Prom was held at the Museum of Natural History. Prom itself was a complete disaster despite the blur it truly was. In the middle of dancing, Luke pulled her away, drunk and apologizing for messing up. He swore that he was willing to do whatever it takes to make it up to her. But she was over Luke. She knew that he was asking her because no one else wanted to fuck him. Word got out that Luke dumped her after he slept with her. He was the bad guy, and no one wanted to date him, well except for maybe Drew, she had a certain reputation. But even she claimed she didn't want anything to do with him. 

After she refused his advances, things got heated and Annabeth was thankful for the loud music coming from the courtyard. Their shouting was drowned out from the music. Luke used Percy as the scapegoat saying that he ruined everything. Everything was perfect and then Percy claimed to love her which was a lie to break them up since he was "out there with the redhead". She rebutted with insults, claiming he just wasn't a good enough boyfriend to her, and in the end only wanted sex. He denied it saying he was in love with her, but it was too late, Annabeth had turned away and headed back to the dance floor. The music had slowed down to a melancholic beat and she noticed Percy and Rachel slow dancing, they looked so in love. 

She wished Thalia was here, if anyone would help her drown her sorrows it was their rebellious punk of a friend. 

No one asked her, she hadn't expected anyone to. Everyone in her group of friends had someone they cared about more than her. Percy had Rachel, Piper had Jason, Hazel had Frank. So now she sat in the courtyard alone, trying not to cry. 

"May I sit here?" Annabeth looked up to see Rachel. She was wearing a beautiful baby blue dress that made both her eyes and hair stand out even more. 

Annabeth just nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth, something terrible would come out. "I'm sorry that boys suck. Someone told Percy and I that they saw you storming away from Luke. He grabbed Jason and Frank to go deal with it." Rachel chuckled a bit. "You know it's funny, before tonight I would've thought that you and Percy were barely friends, but seeing how quick he jumped to defend you and after everything that he told me, I understand. Annabeth you're an amazing woman and you don't need a guy's love to make you who you are. You're the future world's greatest architect, you're going to do great things in the future. Trust me." Rachel stood up when she saw Percy re-entering the courtyard and left to go check on him. Annabeth was never more alone, but Rachel's words really resonated with her. She wasn't going to be controlled by Luke or Percy's feelings. 

* * *

Graduation came and went. Annabeth of course was the valedictorian, thanking all the hard work she put in to be where she was, she thanked her friends, and even decided to mention Percy personally. "I know that I've made plenty of mistakes during my time here, but I am thankful that I had Percy Jackson by my side. Without him or the amazing Sally Jackson, I wouldn't be the woman I am today. Thank you..." Her speech continued as she planned it, but she hoped that Percy understood, that he knew that she truly regretted how she acted senior year. A lifetime of friendship was destroyed, but she needed him to know just how much of an impact he and his mother made on her. They made her a better person. 

An after party was thrown at Rachel's mansion, that's right, mansion. Apparently, unbeknownst to Annabeth, Rachel was loaded. Her father was some famous and powerful industrialist. Rachel had told them before that her father and her weren't close and how she despised his work, but Annabeth always thought it was because he was never home and Rachel missed him. After arriving at her home, she understood. 

The party was strictly for the graduates and their friends. She was thankful because she honestly didn't want to see most of these people ever again. Graduating made her realize just how fake everything had been, the only thing that was real was her relationship with her closest friends. Not these people. These people meant nothing to her. 

"Congratulations!" She heard Piper before she saw her. The junior, soon to be senior, tackled her from behind. "I'm so so happy for you Annabeth." Piper swore when she finally pulled away allowing Annabeth to turn around and great her properly. "I'm... I'm going to miss you so much. You just had to "experience college life" and dorm. A twenty minute commute was to much for you huh?" She teased, giving Piper a light playful tap on the shoulder. 

She responded with another hug, it was all she could do to keep from crying. "I'll miss you too, but I'll be around. Like you said, it's only twenty minutes. Besides Percy will still be around, he's commuting."

Piper pulled away and looked at Annabeth confused. "Commuting? Percy's not... Anna-did he not tell you? Percy... he's leaving. Rachel is doing this international art school thing and Percy, well he's going with her. He's-" Piper didn't get a chance to finish, Annabeth had stormed off in search of Percy. They might not be what they were, but she would be damned if she was going to let him throw away his life for a girl. She wouldn't let him throw his dream of becoming a marine biologist for anyone, including her. 

It wasn't hard to find him, all she had to do was spot the annoying patch of red in the crowd and then look next to it. And sure enough, there he was, dressed fairly nice in a button up and jeans, his hair wasn't completely a mess which was a first. If she wasn't so furious at him, she would have stopped and truly took in just how handsome he looked. "Perseus Jackson!" She yelled, doing her best Sally Jackson impression. She knew she could intimidate Percy with just a glance, but she didn't want to intimidate him, no she wanted to scare him. 

Freaked out, Percy hesitantly approached. "Hey Annabeth... sorry I didn't text or call saying thanks." Annabeth tilted her head with an annoyed look on her face. "You know about the nice thing you said about me and my mom." He rubbed the back of his neck; a nervous tick he'd had since they were five. "But uh Estelle was very upset that she didn't get a shout out so technically you owe her an ice cream date." The annoyed look was still plastered on her face. "Her words not mine," he said, stepping back slowly away from her. "Look I know things have been weird but I think they've gotten better. But I still don't know if I'm there yet. I'm sorry Annabeth, you know that. I'll always be your friend and now that we've graduated it's important that we stay friends. Things are going to be different now-"

"No shit they'll be different Percy. We're going to college. I'll be dorming and you'll be commuting, at least that's what I thought until Piper told me otherwise." Her hands were on her hips, letting Percy know exactly how mad she was.

"Oh... yeah. Well I wasn't sure how to tell you. I swear I-"

"Dammit Percy it's not about that. It's the fact that you're letting her dictate your life for gods know why!" She realized that a few heads were turning their direction due to her outburst. Rachel started to head over to aid Percy but he waved her off, flashing that ridiculously handsome smile. She took a deep sigh and gathered herself. "Listen Percy you say you love each other, but I also know school has always been tough for you, but continuing college is important. I-"

"No Annabeth you listen to me," he interrupted, anger in his voice. "School has been tough for me. You above anyone should know that. And college wasn't in the cards for me based on my grades, but you helped me work on them and get them up to acceptable. Then the scholarships came and I realized that I could do it." He paused, looking back over to Rachel. "But being with Rachel showed me that sitting in a classroom for four years isn't the only option. She showed me some really cool options that are designed for people like me. She showed me this program that will take me all over the world, teaching me all about being a marine biologist and even interning as one without having to be stuck in a classroom. Rachel did this from me because she loves me. And she thought I could be more than just sitting in a class. She helped me, she showed me something I didn't even know was available." He turned and looked back at Annabeth's shocked expression. "She gets me. I thought you did too." He pulled her in for a quick hug before heading back over to Rachel who was laughing at something going on between Hazel and Frank. "Good luck Annabeth. I love you. Always will."

And that was when she realized she'd lost Percy Jackson forever. 


	2. College (Freshman Year)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth spends her Freshman year of college not how she expected... Alone. 
> 
> But college brings new friends and old ones together. Maybe she can finally find some time to figure out her feelings about Percy as well.

A couple days after she moved in her dorm at NYU she officially met her roommate and flatmates. Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano was poised, cool, collected, strict, organized, and goal oriented. Annabeth might be a little bit in love. Reyna was so similar to herself it was a little unsettling, but certainly a welcome change of pace for her. She knew Reyna was going to push her to be better, she was just as competitive. Oh yes, they were going to get along perfectly.

Her other roommates which she shared the common space with were total opposites of each other and it threw her for a loop when they claimed to be best friends for life. Well more like Silena Beauregard, who was without a doubt the most beautiful woman Annabeth had ever laid eyes on, claimed that her and Clarisse La Rue, a sourpuss in her own right, were best friends. The two appeared to have nothing in common if you just looked at them standing there together. Everything about Silena said posh, rich, cheerleader type while Clarisse was much more tomboy, lacrosse captain, spit on your grave type. But against all odds the two seem inseparable.

The four of them became quite close, Silena introduced her and Reyna to her long time boyfriend Charlie. Annabeth was reminded of Percy and Rachel with how in love the two were. As flatmates went, they were perfect for Annabeth. She felt welcomed and appreciated by her new friends.

Silena was perfect for setting Annabeth up for success with just an outfit. "When you look your best, your radiate confidence. People notice confidence... after beauty of course and you don't have to worry about that, you're stunning. So confidence is what will keep them interested, whether that's professionally or romantically."

Clarisse was a little rough around the edges but Annabeth suspected that she had a sweet spot for people she cared about. An oddly enough Annabeth fell under that category. It didn't happen right away, but it when it did, it was overnight.

Their hall was co-ed and so directly across from them were four boys who as Reyna put, were nothing but trouble. Trouble came in the name of Leo Valdez and Travis and Connor Still. The fourth roommate Grover Underwood was a quite sickly boy who Annabeth found herself growing close to as quickly as she had Silena and Clarisse.

And she had Leo, Connor, and Travis to thank for her and Clarisse growing close. Now Annabeth wasn't one for pranks or nonsense, but something about the three of those boys really made her inner child come out. Her and Clarisse would strategize on how best to prank them, Annabeth coming up with elaborate schemes while Clarisse was much more "let's just kick them in the balls next time they think about doing one of their stupid ass pranks."

But despite all their pranks the four had become close with the rest of them. Only Reyna was left for Annabeth go truly call a friend. Their schedules just hadn't lined up this semester, they were both just so busy with classes they only really saw each other in passing or at the end of the day.

* * *

Things changed when winter break finally came. Reyna as it turned out wasn't going anywhere during the end of the semester, opting to stay in the dorms. Annabeth, trying to befriend her roommate offered her to come home with her. The spare bedroom wasn't much bigger than the dorms, but at least she wouldn't be alone. Surprisingly, Reyna agreed and her father was glad she had made a friend and was coming home for the holiday. Despite promising to visit home and despite only living twentyish minutes away, she never once came home.

"This is it," she said, showing Reyna to the guest room downstairs. "Is there anything you want to do? Go see anything?"

"I'd like to meet your friends? By how often you and Piper call it seems you guys are pretty close," she offered, placing a suitcase on the bed. "Maybe we could do something together. I don't… well I don't really make a lot of friends. You're the first friend I've made in years."

Annabeth was surprised, but grateful that Reyna considered her a friend. It was by far the easiest friend she'd ever made. She'd barely spent anytime with her roommate except when they would talk about an annoyance they experienced during the day right before they went to bed. She guessed those little therapy sessions they shared were more important to Reyna then she realized.

"Yeah I can call Piper and see what's happening." Annabeth left Reyna to give her some time to herself and call her sister, Hylla. Annabeth decided to take this time to call her (in every way but blood) sister too.

"Annabeth! Ugh finally! You better be calling to tell me your home!" Piper yelled through the phone.

"Yes Pipes, I'm home. And I brought Reyna-"

"Your roommate?"

"Yeah. She didn't go home so I told her to take the spare bedroom. She said she'd be down to hang with you and Jason."

"This is perfect!" Piper yelled again. "I'm throwing a white elephant for us on Friday. So you and Reyna have exactly two days to get the perfect worst gift possible."

Reyna and Annabeth did some shopping during the two days, braving the madness that was holiday shopping. Luckily, the thrift shop wasn't as chaotic. Reyna had picked out a small lava lamp, while Annabeth decided on a Chia pet. They both laughed at the complete junk they bought for just under $5 combined. "I hope whoever gets this appreciates the effort I put in to get this for them," Reyna commented, and accomplished smirk on her face.

"Well chances are if Piper gets a hold of it she's gonna love it. And if Jason gets it, she'll just take it from him," she teased. Her mind briefly thought of a giant patch of red hair and green eyes. Rachel would also get a kick out of it, but she wasn't sure if Percy and Rachel would be there. Based on his Snapchat, they were in the Netherlands.

* * *

When Friday rolled around, Annabeth felt a little anxious. Sure she talked to Piper all the time, and kept up with all of her friends through Snapchat and Instagram, but seeing them all for the first time in four months was different. College had forced her to change and adapt, especially since she was doing this by herself now. That damned plan had her, Percy, Thalia, and Luke going to NYU together and everything was perfect. Her and Luke were going to move in together after their freshman year. If things were what they were supposed to be, her and Luke would've been spending winter break checking out apartments. Thalia and Percy would move in together within walking distance while Nico and Piper, Jason, and Hazel would still be close by. Frank was the odd man out since they all knew he was going to follow in his father's footsteps and join the military. Gods it was such a stupid unrealistic plan that she realized all to late it was doomed to fail. 

"So remind me again. Hazel is the mother hen who also happens to be the youngest yet oddly the oldest in your group. And she's dating… Nico?" Reyna asked as they exited their Lyft. 

"No," Annabeth laughed at the thought of Hazel and Nico dating. It would've been cute had they not been step siblings. "No. Hazel is sort of dating Frank. He's the Asian boy who looks like he can kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll. Hazel looks like a cinnamon roll and is a cinnamon roll." 

"Now I want Cinnabun." The two girls laugh as they ascended up the stairs up to the Mclean residence. Annabeth couldn't believe how well her and Reyna actually got along. They were both practical, sensible, stern, and academically astute. "So which one is Nico?" 

"He's the gay goth boy. He acts all dark and mysterious but in truth, Nico is a total sap. He lives for telenovelas, reads those shitty gossip magazines, and also has an affinity for rom-coms. Of course if you look at him all you think he likes is death, Edgar Allen Poe, and darkness. He's dark on the outside, rainbow on the inside," she joked. 

"That's a bit… homopho-" 

"It's nothing like that I swear," Annabeth interrupted, stopping herself from ringing the doorbell. "I was actually the first one he felt comfortable with telling. I was just trying to warn you. He has a hard shell to crack but when you do," she sighed, remembering all the good times she had with him. Most of which involved endless teasing of Percy. "But be prepared if he gives you a hard time. His go to move is "because I'm gay?" just to throw you off and embarrass you. Like one time I said he'd like the barbeque chicken pizza that our local pizza shop made and he shouted that at me. We were in public and I was so embarrassed. So be prepared for that." 

Reyna smirked. "I can handle that. He seems like the most interesting friend you have." The statement, while nice, was incorrect. Percy was her most interesting friend. The way he laughed, smiled, swam… existed, all of it was interesting to her. If she could recommend a friend for Reyna it'd be him. Everyone deserved a friend like Percy Jackson. Everyone but her, who had him and threw him away. 

"Annabeth!" Piper shouted the second she opened the door, launching herself at the older girl. "Ugh I've missed you so much." She stepped away and gave Annabeth a thankful smile. "And you must be Reyna, hi!" And just like she did Annabeth, Piper launched herself at Reyna and gave her a hug. "C'mon, c'mon. Practically everyone is here!" 

As they followed Piper through the foyer Annabeth noticed a change in Renya's face. "Are you okay?"

Reyna nodded, "just nervous. Like I said, I'm not really the most friendliest of people. What if they don't like me?" 

"Nonsense," Annabeth reassured her, wrapping her arm around the taller girls waist. "I mean look at Piper. She is and was genuinely excited to meet you. And so is everyone else. But worst case scenario you can ask Piper how her and I became friends. She gets really flustered because it's really embarrassing. At least for her." 

The door rang behind them, and Piper without looking back asked Annabeth to go grab it for her. So Annabeth begrudgingly did, telling Reyna to wait up for her. 

"Annabeth! Oh my gods hi!" Rachel squealed as she pulled Annabeth in for a hug the second she opened the door. "It's been so long. Your social media game is lacking!" Annabeth hated how beautiful Rachel looked with her grey beanie and deep green coat. It just made her eyes and hair pop even more. "Her Percy let me take the gifts so you can say hi." 

Percy Jackson had gotten even more handsome. His hair was still a mop resting on top of his head, but his features were more defined and his eyes looked greener than ever. He was wearing black jeans and a cheesy ugly Christmas sweater that looked like the bottom half of a reindeer. He quickly pulled her in for a hug and a wave of ocean and chocolate chip cookies overtook her senses. "It's good to see you wise girl," he whispered into her ear, reminding her just how much she missed the sound of his voice. 

"You too seaweed brain."

"So Annabeth do you mind holding the gifts while Percy helps me with my coat?" Annabeth nodded and accepted the gifts. She could tell by the wrapping that these were not thrift store items. Percy had helped her with her coat which revealed Rachel to be wearing an identical ugly sweater only with the top half of the reindeer. 

"Annabeth did you get the do- Percy! Rachel! I thought you guys weren't going to get in until tomorrow?" She sprinted over to the three of them but gasped when she noticed Percy and Rachel's sweater. "Oh my gods. That is just the greatest, the cutest thing I've ever seen," she turned back towards the end of the hall. "Jason why didn't we do matching ugly sweaters!" She shouted. Annabeth was sure that Jason hadn't heard her. 

"Oh I'm sorry, I'm Percy Jackson," Percy stepped past all three of the girls to introduce himself to Reyna. "You must be Reyna. It's a pleasure to meet you." 

And for the first time since Annabeth had met Reyna, she watched as her roommate blushed as she accepted Percy's hand. "Now that we know each other, get over here," Percy laughed as he pulled Reyna in for a friendly hug. 

"You must forgive this kelp head," Rachel teased as she looped her arm around Percy once he pulled back from hugging Reyna. "He has no respect for personal boundaries. Hi, I'm Rachel but you can call me Red." 

"It's nice to meet you both. And it's okay. You're not the first person to randomly hug me today," Reyna teased as she eyeballed Piper. "And Red? Because of your hair?" 

"Partially. My full name is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. So R.E.D. I didn't even realize the nickname until this fool refused to call me anything else when we met." Rachel reached up on her toes to kiss Percy on the cheek. "After that it's kind of stuck." 

"Hey I call you other things!" Percy rebutted. "My girlfriend, my love, babe, Jallan atthirar Anni, sexy li-" 

"Okay Percy. I think they get it," Rachel said as she failed to hide her blush. "The weird one is dothraki for "moon of my life". We've kind of started to binge watch game of thrones during our flights." 

"Oh my gods. You have to tell me all about your travels. C'mon let's go say hi to everyone before Jason gets worried." Percy and Rachel followed wordlessly as a chorus of cheers and excitement came from the main room. 

"I thought your friend Jason was attractive, but wow… Percy Jackson is something else. Rachel is a lucky girl." Renya joked as they walked in and joined everyone else so Reyna could officially meet everyone. 

"You have no idea," she whispered to herself. 

Everyone sat around lounging about, reminiscing their high school days with Rachel telling first hand accounts on their adventures and Percy explaining his courses and his new affinity for deep sea diving. Everyone was so thrilled that they were back in town, they hadn't really had the chance to talk to them while they traveled. Percy explained that his course was going to take him to Australia in February but Rachel was going to Budapest for a few months so they wouldn't be together like they had been. But they were ready for the challenge, they knew if they could make it those months they could do anything. 

Annabeth put on her smile and cheered the happy couple wishing them the best before they took off. Percy still had to go see his family. Apparently they came straight there. "Hey… I'm planning on visiting Thalia, if you want to come with?" Percy asked her before they left. "I was going to go on Christmas. Figured it'd be the least crowded day. Let me know if you want to." With that Percy left her once more. But this time she had a promise to see him again. Just him. 

She needed just him. She missed her seaweed brain. 

* * *

Christmas day Annabeth found herself sitting where she belonged; in her favorite chair at the Blofis-Jackson house, with a cup of hot cocoa and a plate of blue chocolate chip cookies in her lap. 

Reyna was helping Sally hand out gifts to Estelle who recklessly ripped up the wrapping much to Annabeth's chagrin. Reyna seemed to agree with Annabeth's sentiment seeing as she cringed when Percy tore through his delicately wrapped present. Annabeth was glad that Reyna was able to come with her, there was no way she was going to subject her roommate to her family alone. If Reyna was forced to spend Christmas with a family, it should be this one. Once Reyna and Sally finished handing out gifts, Paul summoned Percy to help him with something. Percy gave her a wink letting Annabeth know that it was clearly a gift from Paul to Sally. She was so happy that Percy and Sally has Paul now. Especially since his addition led to Estelle. She still to this day remembered Percy calling her saying that her mom has a new boyfriend and he was a teacher. She remembered the skeptical looks Percy gave Paul and Annabeth couldn't fault him. Sally's last boyfriend was the absolute worst human being in the history of human beings. Seeing Paul and Percy scheming to give Sally an amazing Christmas gift made her heart flutter. This was a family that truly loved each other. And she should never have drifted away from them. 

"Banana bread look!" Estelle held up her latest gift, clearly intended for Annabeth more than anyone else. Still partially covered in gift wrap was Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Annabeth's favorite fiction book. "Bedtime stories!" It was a tradition for the two of them. Exactly two years ago Sally got Estelle hooked on Harry Potter, just like she had Annabeth. Originally, Sally had gotten the Harry Potter books for a six year old Percy to read but he much preferred her to read to him. Therefore Percy roped Annabeth into his bed time stories every time she slept over. Sally was thrilled to read Harry Potter to them and immediately, Annabeth was enamored with the wonderful wizarding world. She even, definitely, got Helen to buy her the books so she could read them alone, but she never told Sally. Sally made the story feel like it was coming alive. And that's how the tradition started. And two years ago when Sally gave Estelle the first Harry Potter book, being the age she was, she couldn't comprehend what she was reading so Sally happily read to her when she could. But Annabeth was hanging out at the house more since her and Percy were in highschool so she took it upon herself to read to Estelle, and to a lesser extent Percy. 

"I thought you were on Prisoner of Azkaban?" 

Estelle blew her a raspberry, "no mommy finished it with me. And Percy finished Goblet of Fire before he left!" Of course, she wasn't part of their life for six months, more so now that she had gone to college. She truly missed a lot. 

"Well how about I read you chapter one tonight when I get back?" She asked as she scooped up Estelle and held her in her arms. Her uneaten cookies quickly being snatched up by Reyna who sighed in ecstasy as she bit into the stolen blue cookies. 

"Sleepover!" Estelle exclaimed, all too happy to have Annabeth reading to her again. While Annabeth doubted she would stay the night since Reyna was with her, she couldn't help but picture her and Percy curled up on a bed while she read to a slowly falling asleep Estelle. It was perfect, it's what she should have in her life even if she didn't believe she deserved it. 

Percy and Paul brought in Sally's present which was smaller than she expected. Annabeth guessed a fancy necklace, but when Sally gracefully opened her present, everyone was silent. Inside was a ticket. Not just one, but three. "I know how long it's been since you've been home Mom, and I want you to take Paul and Estelle to experience it, properly. You've always made sure that I have the best even when we couldn't afford it. You made sure that I was happy. Well now it's my turn. I want you to be happy." Percy said with a loving smile. Annabeth loved the way Percy loved his mom. 

Sally was in the verge of tears and out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth caught Reyna fighting back some as well. In truth, Annabeth was crying, a few tears of love fell down her cheeks, she was grateful to witness such a precious moment. Sally set the present aside and rushed Percy. "I love you my son, my beautiful, caring, amazing son. I know I tell you this all the time, but I'm so proud of the man you've become. But," she paused looking uncomfortable for a brief second before returning back to a loving mom. "How-how did you afford this? Please tell me you didn't let Rachel do this for me?" 

Percy opened his mouth to say something but Paul stepped in. "Well Percy came to me with the idea and he planned on using his life savings for this trip, but I couldn't let this happen. So together we decided to split it. But-"

"I talked to Dad," Percy interrupted. "I told him my plan and how much you missed Greece and how you deserved the world, and…" Percy trailed off, running his hand through his hair. 

Annabeth could tell that Sally wasn't overly thrilled that Percy's dad was involved. She didn't know much about the man other than for reasons unknown to her, he couldn't be with Sally and Percy and instead married some other woman. She'd only met him a handful of times and she could see where Percy got his looks from, specifically the sea green eyes. He was nice enough to her and as she got older she could see the sadness in his eyes when he looked at his former lover. Now, she understood that look. The look of what could've been. 

Lost in thought, she didn't hear Reyna lean over and ask about Greece until she asked again. "What? Oh yeah, sorry." She looked back at Sally who, using Percy's phone, decided to call Percy's father to personally thank him. "Well Sally lived in Greece until she was about twelve years old. Unfortunately her parents died and she had to move here to New York to live with her estranged eccentric uncle. She worked at his shop when she turned thirteen until she graduated high school. Once she graduated she moved out and her uncle moved back to Greece. She started her first semester at NYU only to be called back to Greece to support her uncle who got sick and was dying. There she met Percy's father who is some fancy Duke or whatever they are called in Greece. They fell in love and ran away together after her uncle died. They moved back to New York for a year and soon enough she found out she was pregnant with Percy. That's when his brothers found him. They forced him to come home and do what was right for the family. So he left. He left Percy before he was even born, and Sally to build her life alone as a single mother at the age of twenty." 

Renya was silent as she turned back to look at the woman Annabeth described. She would never have been able to tell the woman's tragic history based on how positive and loving she was. "I think he still loves her though, that he's never stopped. I think that there's a reason why no matter how much trouble Percy got into, the problems just seemed to disappear overnight. I think he's watching, hoping that Sally knows how much her and Percy still mean to him." 

Estelle decided to interrupt their little whisper with a declaration that they must watch Elf. Sally thanked Poseidon once me before hanging up and handing Percy his phone back. Almost immediately after, his phone rang. "Oh it's Rachel." He blushed when Estelle teased him. "Hey babe. Yeah we were just getting ready to head out. It should only be about an hour or so. Absolutely, my mom loves you, you're more than welcome to come here and wait for us to get back." He looked down at Estelle. "Besides, someone other than me needs to be teased about dating you. Estelle." She stuck her tongue out at her older brother and squealed when he picked her up. "Estelle say hi to Rachel.." 

"Hi Red! I miss you!" Percy set her back down, satisfied that his sister liked his girlfriend. 

Then Percy walked closer to Annabeth, away from his mom who was pulling Estelle close to cuddle up with her as she selected Elf on Netflix. "And you got the present right? You do?! Awesome. Mom is going to love it. You're a genius and way too good for me. I love you," he said with a smile causing Annabeth to look away with a frown. Although she was curious as to the secret present Percy got her. "Yeah she's excited to visit home. She's going to be even more excited when we surprise her there. And you're sure you're up for that. We don't have to go, I don't want you to feel like you have to pay for a plane ticket for me and you to go to Greece." Percy sighed and rolled his eyes playfully when Annabeth made eye contact with him. "I know. Your money, you choose how to spend it. Still… okay okay. Well me and Annabeth are going to head over to Thalia so I'll see you when I get home. Yes. Sounds good. I love you too." Percy sighed dreamily when he hung up. 

He looked down at Annabeth who was still in her chair, trying her best to focus on Buddy the Elf. "You ready wise girl?"

"Of course seaweed brain." She stood up and looked back at Reyna. "Do you want to stay? You don't have to come if you don't want to." 

Reyna was about to speak when Percy answered for her. "You should come. Thalia would love to meet the girl who had to put up with Annabeth as a roommate for the semester," he teased and that seemed to put Reyna's mind at ease as she accepted the invite. 

"What was she like?" Reyna asked as they all stared at their sleeping friend. Annabeth immediately thought of her first encounter with the older teen. " _Annabeth, this is my cousin Thalia. Jason's around here somewhere. Oh there he is! I see you've already met Piper!" Percy said before walking away._

_Thalia looked amused and unimpressed by An Annabeth. "So… you're THE Annabeth? You're the girl he won't stop shutting up about?"_

_Annabeth blushed, "uhh yeah that's me."_

_Thalia smirked. "So you're seriously best friend with that kelp head?"_

_"Kelp head? I… I call him seaweed brain!" Annabeth smiled gleefully at her new friend. Making fun of Percy seemed to be their commonality. Percy walked back up to them, "sorry had to pull Jason's tongue out of his mouth, should've seen him talking to Piper it was so…" he trailed off, looking at the smirking girls. "What-do I have something on my face?"_

_"You're such a seaweed brain!"_

_"Oh my gods kelp head!"_

_The color drained from Percy's face as he muttered "what have I created."_

…

"Thalia… Thalia was a punk on the outside, but a softie on the inside. She could hit hard but hug harder. For those she cared about, she'd die for. For those she loved, she'd give everything she had for them to be happy, even if it destroyed her." Percy answered for Annabeth. "She was scary too," he added, causing Annabeth to let out a choked laugh. She had only visited a handful of times and each time resulted in her catching Thalia up with her life until she begged her to just wake up and cried before leaving. "She could beat up anyone in the school with one hand tied behind her back." 

Reyna smiled as Annabeth took a seat beside Percy and placed her hand over his. He was holding onto Thalia's, staring at how different she looked now. For all Annabeth's time knowing her, she'd never seen her with long hair. It was always short and spiked, but now her hair flowed down past her shoulders. "I'm going to give you guys a moment. Grab some hot cocoa from the cafeteria." Reyna announced before leaving them alone. 

Percy pulled Thalia's hand up to his lips. "I miss you Thals. I miss your stupid name calling, and your dirty mouth, and terrible sense of humour. I miss you so much and I want you to wake up… please." Annabeth watched as tears poured down from Percy's eyes. She hated seeing him crying. 

"She'll wake up. She's fucking stubborn and a pain in our ass. We both know that we can't get rid of her that easily." She said hoping to make him laugh. Instead Percy just sighed and dropped her hand. 

"But Annabeth… it's been almost a year and the doctors have said that nothing has changed. That she's most likely brain dead and we just have to accept that. Rachel says that I should try to move on.. live my life as best I can for Thalia, that I-"

Annabeth pulled her hands away. "Well Rachel's wrong!" She countered. "Rachel doesn't know Thalia like we do. Thalia is our best friend and she's always been a fighter." Annabeth wanted Thalia to wake up more than anything, even if it meant that Thalia would still hate her for doing what she did to Percy. It would be worth it just to have her back. If it meant Thalia would wake up just punch her in the face and tell her she hated her, it would be worth it. "We have to believe in her. Don't-don't give up." 

Percy wrapped himself around her as they both cried. Unbeknownst to either as a flick of one of Thalia's fingers. Suddenly two nurses were ushering them out and a doctor closed the door behind them. Annabeth was lucky Percy and Reyna were there to hold her back as she was about to storm in there demanding to know what was going on. 

Reyna gave them both their shitty cup of hot cocoa. But Annabeth loved it. Cocoa mix and hot water; it reminded her of her sleepovers with Percy when they would run out of the homemade hot cocoa that Sally made and stay up until she fell asleep to make their own. Of course Annabeth never trusted Percy near the flames so she would heat up the water and mix the packets. She smiled as her and Percy sipped on their drinks. Percy slid his hand to hers and suddenly everything felt right again. 

Ten minutes passed and the doctor finally approached them. "There is good news and bad news." They all stood silently waiting for him. "The good is that Ms. Grace's brain showed recent activity and her body responded to the tests." Annabeth wanted to hug the doctor, forgetting that she was going to tear him a new one for kicking her out. "But," the doctor continued, bringing her back to reality. "She has to be the one to make herself wake up. She has to choose to wake up. It could be an hour, it could be years. It is strictly up to her. Now if you'll excuse me I have to contact Ms. Grace's father." 

The three of them decided to stay, after they informed everyone they knew. Shortly after Percy received a call. Annabeth peaked a glance and noticed Rachel's name on his phone. "I'll be right back. Rach is probably wondering what the plan is now," he said with a smile. Annabeth however wanted to scoff. Typical Rachel thinking about herself at a time like this. Just after Percy walked out, Annabeth's own phone rang. She expected her father to fall but instead was pleasantly surprised that Sally was calling. 

"Hey Sally," she answered. 

"Annabeth! I couldn't get a hold of Percy. Is everything okay?" 

Annabeth sighed. "Yes. He's just on the phone with Rachel. Something about her still coming over I don't know."

There was an awkward pause where Annabeth was certain she had just given herself away. "So what Percy said is true. Thalia's recovering?" 

"We don't know. They said her brain showed signs but now it's up to her." She sighed again. "I just wish that Jason was here. But you know they like to take their Christmas trips to D.C." 

"Well we both know Thalia is a stubborn young woman. She'll pull through. You could never keep her down for long." Annabeth knew Sally was reminiscing over all the silly arguments her, Percy, and Thalia had over the two years they'd known each other. 

"I think you're right." 

"So you're not coming back," Sally asked in more of a confirmation than question. 

"Probably not. I just… I feel something. Like there's something telling me she will wake soon. And I'm afraid… that if I leave and she doesn't wake up then she never will." 

"Then stay. Remind her that you're waiting. She'll listen. Percy and Thalia always listen to what you had to say. "Tell Percy to call me when he's free. And… Merry Christmas Annabeth. We love you." 

Annabeth smiled even though Sally couldn't see. "I love you too Sally. Merry Christmas."

She turned to check on Reyna who was busy playing a game on her phone. "That woman is awesome," she said without looking up. She was close to accomplishing a level. "I wish I had a mom like her. And Estelle, what a cutie." 

"Yeah," Annabeth laughed awkwardly. She had told Reyna parts of hers and Percy's story but chose to leave out the mess that was last Christmas when she nearly ruined everything. It was without a doubt her biggest regret. 

She chose at that moment or focus on how many dots were on the ceiling panel above her. "... gonna love it even if I'm not there. Trust me," Percy said as he returned to his seat. 

"I told Rachel to go ahead and head over to mom's." He answered the unasked question that Annabeth had sitting on her tongue. Her face must have given it away. "Yeah I want to be there but this is huge and I can't miss the off chance she wakes, ya know?" Annabeth wordlessly nodded, still afraid to meet his gaze. 

Two hundred and thirty seven, two hundred and thirty eight. "I also said that she should read to Estelle. You know since you're here and Estelle was looking forward to it. That's cool right?"

No! No it certainly wasn't cool. That was a Banana Bread and Seahorse activity. Rachel can't do her Harry Potter or her Hermione impressions! Rachel can't get the old raspiness in her voice or be Dumbledore. And she certainly can't make Estelle laugh with her Hagrid. No! Rachel is not allowed to read to Estelle. "Yeah sure, whatever." 

"Oh-okay." Percy said. 

That was the last thing she remembered was counting up to almost nine hundred before falling asleep. 

"... And so Thanos snaps his fingers all like 'i am inevitable' but then it goes to Tony and he had the stones which form to his armor and he goes 'And I. Am. Ironman' and snaps and Thanos and his army turn to dust." Annabeth heard Reyna's voice coming from somewhere not beside her. She also realized her head was leaning on Percy's shoulder, his own, lying on top of hers. Annabeth considered herself lucky Percy wasn't drooling at that moment. 

It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the lighting, but when they did she saw Reyna sitting at Thalia's bed with a very conscious Thalia. She frantically nudged Percy to wake up and sprinted to Thalia's side. "Thals… how? Why? Why didn't you wake us!?" She yelled at both of them despite the smile and tears streaming down her face. She felt a presence beside her and hands shot out, pulling Thalia close to the two of them. 

"You two losers looked so peaceful so I asked Reyna to tell the doctors to come in quietly and perform their tests. Reyna was up and she kept me company. You got a pretty sweet roommate Beth." 

Annabeth caught Reyna trying to hide her blush. She thought about reading into it a bit more, but it didn't matter at the moment. Thalia was back. 

Oh dear gods Thalia was back and totally going to kick her ass. "I'm glad you guys are good now." Thalia said, as if reading her mind. She then yawned and stretched out her arms before falling back down onto her pillow. "But despite the fact that I slept for a year, I'm pretty fucking tired. So let's save all the emotional shit for tomorrow when everyone else comes. Reyna here was telling me about Endgame and was going to tell me how Game of Thrones ended."

Percy immediately put his hands to his ears, "hey no spoilers!" 

"Oh well surely you know that Dany gets married to J-" 

"Not listening. La la la." Percy interrupted at much louder volume than Thalia. 

"Ugh shut it kelp head! Everyone knows you can't sing." Thalia teased. 

"Like you're one to talk Pinecone face!" He countered. 

And as Thalia's room was filled with the sounds of their laughter, Annabeth thought that maybe, just maybe, things were going to work out ok. 

* * *

Second semester startee and Piper officially had her first visit. She wanted to see Annabeth's dorm more than anything and now that her schedule had let up, Annabeth was finally able to allow her to come. To Annabeth's surprise, Piper and Silena bonded like nothing she thought possible. The two seemed to form almost a sisterlike bond. Silena had stopped by after her class to find her and Piper talking. Immediately the two clicked and Annabeth was whisked away to a bruncheon.

But there she discovered that sometime after break Piper and Jason had a big fight and were taking a break. Annabeth couldn't believe it. There wasn't a more perfect couple in her mind than Jason and Piper. She thought they were perfect together and would be together forever. Annabeth didn't know if she was more heartbroken than Piper or not. "It's for the best right now. I mean we've been together since we were freshmen and I think we both just need to figure out who we are as individuals instead of just "Piper and Jason". He's going to figure out who just Jason is and I'm going to find out who just Piper is."

Annabeth was happy for Piper, being so strong and healthily dealing with such a drastic change. "Well I'm always here for you Piper."

"Me too!" Silena added. "I know we've just met, but we are bound together forever by brunch. If you ever need anything. Doesn't matter what. From clothes, makeup tips, a ride, condoms," that got Piper to blush. "To even a fake lesbian girlfriend, I'm here for you. I'm all about women discovering themselves. It's part in why I'm majoring in communications. With that I-"

"That's what I've been planning on majoring in!" Piper interrupted excitedly. "Oh my gods I like so need your number so you can tell all about it." And just like that Piper created another friend for life. Annabeth always envied her for that trait.

But thanks to Piper and her social skills, she'd grown even closer to Silena. Silena was always open to talk and listen. Annabeth mainly told her about her feelings for Percy and what things were like now with Thalia back. In a way, Silena became her therapist. Every time she got a cute or funny snap from Percy she would storm over to the next room and rant to Silena that "can't that seaweed brain see what he's doing to me. Showing off his great life while I'm caught up on him."

It was Silena who suggested she date around, advice which she decided to take. She accepted the date that cute boy from her econ class asked her out on. And the one a different cure boy from her intro to architecture class as well. "Make sure it's non-exclusive. This is just casual dating and that's how it goes." Silena had told her.

She was ready to move on.

And as it turns out so was Piper who, newly single, decided to host a Galentine's Day. Piper invited everyone. Silena, who brought Clarise at Piper's own request, Hazel, Thalia, Rachel, Reyna, and of course Sally and Estelle.

They all met at the Jackson-Blofis residence for breakfast. Blue chocolate chip pancakes and mimosas. Sally was willing to look the other way assuming none of them drove home and stayed there if they were too drunk. Silena was obsessed with Estelle from the minute she entered. So much so that Clarise was tempted to get on the phone and call Beckendorf to warn him of his girlfriend's baby fever. Estelle for the most part was thrilled being the center of attention. But Annabeth was more interested in the conversation Hazel was having with Sally. "I think I'm ready. Me and Frank have been beating around the bush for a while now. I just, I don't want to push him. He's been hesitant about doing it and if I push him he may not want to do it at all."

"Well sweetie, in the handful of times I've met your cute boyfriend I can't tell that he'd do anything for you." Sally winked at the young girl causing her to blush. "But this is a big step in your relationship. You're just barely seventeen and you know your body better than anyone. And sex is a big step. There's a lot of scenarios that could happen. You might not click sexual and it could ruin your relationship because despite what people say, sex is needed for a healthy relationship, assuming you're sexually active. I think that the best thing you could do is just be straightforward with Frank and tell him how you feel."

Hazel shyly nodded, noticing that Annabeth was listening as well. "And just know that everyone's first time is different." Annabeth added. She wanted Hazel to know that her first time wasn't going to be the same as her own. "Frank loves you and would never do anything to hurt you. And when you two finally have your first time it's going to be truly special."

Rachel, Renya, and Thalia chose that time to interrupt the conversation, coming in hearing the last part of Annabeth's sentence. "First time!" Rachel gleamed. "Hazel you dog!" She teased as she approached. "I remember mine and Percy's-" she cut herself off remembering that Sally was in the room. "First time we went snorkeling together!"

Everyone laughed at Rachel's embarrassment. "I think this is a conversation I don't want to be part of. Maybe Silena would be interested in babysitting, she's so good with Estelle."

They watched as Sally walked over to Silena, Clarisse, and Estelle. Silena caught Sally's gaze and eagerly held up what looked like a book. Annabeth swore that she saw Sally blush. "Oh that's Percy's present!" Rachel added. "I was able to get a publisher to read it and she loved it and that's the first official copy. Percy is so amazingly cute." Rachel took a sip of her mimosa. "I miss him so much. He texted me about his first day of class last week."

Piper came to Rachel's aid. "Don't worry babe. I guarantee Percy misses you just as much, if not more than you miss him." Rachel blushed. Annabeth however was more interested in Sally's book. Besides, hearing about Rachel and Percy's relationship was never her favorite activity.

She sat down beside Clarisse who was gently playing with some dolls with Estelle. Silena and Sally were engrossed in a varying discussion of babysitting techniques and Silena's personal experiences growing up. Annabeth slowly reached for the book sitting there on the coffee table.

Peter Johnson and the Lightning Thief.

She opened the first page. "To my children, Percy and Estelle and for my other daughter Annabeth. I love you all with all my heart." Annabeth shyly smiled and blushed. She continued to the next page to read.

Chapter 1: I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher

"Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.

If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.

Being a half-blood is dangerous. It’s scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways. If you’re a normal kid, reading this because you think it’s fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. But if you recognize yourself in these pages – if you feel something stirring inside – stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it’s only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they’ll come for you."

Immediately, Annabeth felt hooked. She looked up to see Sally smiling at her. "Take it. It's yours. I want you to have an original copy."

"Sally I can't. This is your gift from Percy. I can't-"

"Nonsense my dear. I have my literal pages of my book here. This one… well I want you to have it. Please. For me dear."

Annabeth blushed again and accepted it. How could she say no to Sally?

Annabeth spent the rest of Galentine's day reading Sally's book. She was engrossed with the character Annabelle Chance who was clearly going to be the love interest. She loved that the girl was smarter than the male and that she was braver than most. Annabeth loved the banter between Peter and Annabelle, especially when they ended up in the tunnel of love. She could imagine being a twelve year old girl with a boy that she thought was an idiot but couldn't help but like and be in that scenario. She'd always been intrigued by Greek myths and architecture and Annabelle Chance was an amalgamation of those. The girl wanted to be the best architect of all time and strived to create something that lasted. And that's when Annabeth had to put down the book and realize that Annabelle Chance was based on her. If she was Annabelle, Peter had to be Percy. The two character's interactions were too much like they were when they were young preteens.

She went to the bathroom to try to calm her breathing. Did Sally really create a book about her and Percy growing up? Is this how she felt about her and Percy's friendship? She froze when she heard a knock. "Banana bread! Mommy wants to know if you want pancakes?"

She splashed some water in her face. "Uh just a minute seahorse. I'll be right out."

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But that wasn't real, that was just a story about demigods and gods and monsters. The story was phenomenal and Annabeth wanted more, but she was nervous about Annabelle and her character. Annabeth Chase was a completely different person. She made mistakes and nearly lost her best friend because of her hubris. Annabelle would never. She looked up at the mirror and took a deep breath. It was time for her to just move past Percy and be herself.

* * *

Annabeth found herself sitting next to Percy watching her best friend graduate. Piper made honors and Annabeth couldn't be prouder. Finishing in the top ten percent was such an accomplishment, especially with her home life. Piper was practically raised by the help, it's how she became fluent in Spanish.

"I can't believe they're all grown up." Percy whispered to her while Paul gave a speech about the best is yet to come. "Although when Hazel graduates I'm really going to feel old."

"Sitting right here you weirdo!" Hazel playfully said from beside Annabeth.

"Hey no talking back to me. I'm like… you're like twelve there's no need to swear!" Percy teased back.

She smiled and nudged her friend. "Shut it seaweed brain, I'm not ready to deal with that. Hazel is our adopted child," she wrapped her arms around Hazel's shoulders. "She can't be a senior already. And besides, this is about Frank, and Jason, and Neeks, and most importantly Piper!"

"Playing favorites? Wow I'm telling Estelle,' Percy teased as he leaned into her. It sent a shiver down her spine. She missed his touch.

"Speaking of favorites. Why isn't Rachel here?" She knew the answer, but she enjoyed it so much she wanted to see Percy sad just to justify that Rachel wasn't good enough for him.

"She got into it with her dad and literally took the first flight out of New York. She didn't tell me, only that she'd call when she landed." Percy seemed really sad about it. For a second she wanted Percy to be here with Rachel. He's never happier than when she's with her. But when she wrapped her hand in his she forgot all about Rachel.

Nico was called first and the three of them stood up and cheered for their "death breath" which Thalia unabashedly shouted. Annabeth was disappointed that when they sat back down and Percy didn't intertwine their hands again.

They called Jason's name Thalia stood up and clapped, bringing along Percy and Annabeth with her. "That's my baby brother!" Annabeth rolled her eyes at her friends as both Thalia and Percy went wild for their family member.

Next came Piper and Annabeth was the first one to jump to her feet. She even threw in a whistle for good measure. Once the names were all said she swore to Piper she'd be the first one down there. Of course they still had to wait for Frank to be called and what looked like six or seven other people after him. Annabeth wanted to be on the field before the caps fell back down.

"So, you gonna start heading down?" Percy asked.

She looked at him quizzically. "Please I know you wise girl. It's academics, Piper is one of your best friends. Of course you have to be the first one to congratulate her." Percy gave her a pointed look. "Well go on. I'll see you down there.

Frank's name came and went pretty fast and before she knew she was tackling Piper to the ground congratulating her.

"I'm so proud of you Pipes." She pressed her lips to her younger friend's forehead. "

Her and Piper quickly took a few selfies and waited for everyone to join them. Jason, Nico, and Frank had found their way to them and shortly after Hazel reached them and jumped into her boyfriend's arms and kissed him relentlessly. Thalia caught up and pulled Jason and Nico in with an arm around each of their necks as she dragged them towards the rest of the group.

For the first time since well before her own graduation, she felt like everything was perfect. "Hey where's Percy?" She asked looking around for him.

Thalia's turned to her still smiling. "Old kelp head got a phone call from Mrs. Kelp head saying she landed in Portland and bought him a ticket so he ran off to get packing. I swear he's so whipped and so in love. Rachel might be one of the best things that's ever happened to him… next to befriending you," she added making sure Annabeth knew just how much he loved her too. "He just needed to be there for her."

Annabeth turned back around and for a brief second she knew Thalia caught her true feelings. But by the time she turned around she had plastered on her fake smile and congratulated the rest of her friends.

Why did it seem like every time she took a step forward he got further away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what I was hoping to get posted by like March gets posted in June... My bad guys. 
> 
> Life has been crazy with the virus and being an "essential employee" really fucked up my schedule. 
> 
> I truly hope to get sophomore year posted asap

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah... some of this happened when I was young, but I obviously had to make it more Annabeth related.  
> Please don't be afraid to leave comments and kudos are always appreciated.


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